When The World Caves In
by LoverNotFighter91
Summary: Haley returns home after recording "Feel This" and finds the house empty and an unexpected guest waiting for her.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. This is my first story, I hope you like it.

The sky was quickly becoming a dark purple the sun was dwindling, lowering itself. Haley James Scott pulled into the long driveway of the home she shared with her husband and son. Getting out of the car, she could hear the distance and fading cries of birds. She walked along the hard concrete path to the porch, keys in hand she unlocked the door and entered the house. The house was still and dark, it was empty no one was there. She saw a note on the stand and picking it up, she read.

"_Out, be back later call if you need anything." Love Deb. _

Sighing, Haley placed her bag on the chair that stood next to the door and walked up the stairs, they creaked under the pressure. She walked into their room and began undressing, she changed into a pink tank top and a pair of white shorts. She returned to the hallway and walked down the stairs and toward the kitchen. She flipped the light switch on, illuminating the room but suddenly her heart dropped at the person who sitting at kitchen counter.

"What the hell are you doing?" Haley exclaimed jumping backward her back hitting the the refrigerator, there was no answer only the sound of gunshots rang out, echoing throughout the house.

Nathan Scott pulled into the driveway behind his wife's car and after helping his son out of his car seat, they walked toward the house. Jamie was practically jumping with joy as they walked and Nathan couldn't help but smile as his son's excitement.

"I can't wait to tell mama what you did at practice daddy, you were awesome!" He told his father as Nathan opened the door.

"Thanks Jim-Jam." Nathan replied running his hand through his son's spiky blond hair, making it stick up even more.

"Mama, we're home!" Jaime yelled and took off running toward the stairs while Nathan made his way toward the kitchen, seeing that the light was on.

"Hales, we're home." He announced and the sight he was met with made his heart stop. Haley was spread out on the floor laying in a pool of her own blood. Her skin was ashen, the warmth and color gone from it. Her lips had an unnatural red tinge to them contrasting with her colorless skin.

"Oh God." Nathan whispered rushing over to his wife, kneeling to her side.

"Haley." He placed his hand on her cheek, her skin was cold against his. Her brown eyes were wet and moist, filled with pain and anguish they locked with his fearful blue.

"Haley, baby." His voice was soft, wavering as he spoke trying to hold back his tears.

"N-Nathan?" Her voice was weak and shaky.

"Shh...you're going to be fine." He reassured her and her body shook violently. He reached inside his pocket, dialing three numbers.

"911, please state your emergency." A woman's voice on the other line answered.

"My wife has been shot, I need help." He pleaded to her giving her the information she needed, he closed the phone and tossed it aside. Nathan looked wildly around the room searching for something to stop the bleeding and they landed on his four year old son's face. His face was pale and his blue eyes were watery, tears flowing freely down his cheeks.

"I-Is m-mama gonna b-be okay?" He asked, the questioned barely understandable as he choked on his own tears.

"Yeah, buddy mama's gonna be fine but I need you to go upstairs. Can you do that for me?" Nathan asked gently and Jamie stood still looking at his mother's broken form.

"Jamie, go!" Nathan commanded, the panic that was eating at him made it come out harsher then intended and Jamie took off running. Nathan reached for large dish towel that was on the counter. The blood had long ago seeped through Haley's shirt staining it, it had trailed downward collecting itself on the kitchen floor. Nathan pressed the towel on her wounds and Haley moaned at his touch.

"N-Nathan I l-love you." She manged to say before coughing, her eyes becoming glossy.

"I love you too." He replied, leaning over and kissing her on the forehead.

"T-Tell J-Jamie I - "

"No, Haley don't do that," He commanded, "You're going to be fine." He ran his hand through her dark, brown hair. Suddenly the logical side in him kicked in.

"_No, she's not. She's lost too much blood." _A voice inside his head commented and he quickly shook it away. Nathan looked around the room, a large amount covered the refrigerator as if she had held onto it

trying to support herself. Blood was splatter throughout landing onto the cabinets and stove. A course of it lay on the floor where she had tried to drag herself to the phone but was unable to.

"You're going to be fine, help is on the way." He reassured her and the voice inside his head. She opened her mouth to speak, a trail of blood coming out.

"P-Protect-t J-Jamie, Car- ." She gurgled but could not finish her sentence, her eyes were becoming heavy and difficult to keep open, slowly she closed them.

"Haley!" He panicked and gently tap his hand against her cheek.

"Baby, wake up." He commanded, he could feel her chest move underneath his hand that was holding the towel, her heart beating against it. She was still alive but for how much longer?

"Don't leave me." He whispered and the tears he had fought hard to prevent fell from his eyes. He heard the wailing sirens and the front door opened.

"In here!" He shouted and the paramedics flocked in, pushing Nathan aside. He watched helplessly as they worked on her, speaking medical terms he did not understand. His eyes stayed on her beautiful, lifeless face never leaving it. They placed a oxygen mask over her mouth and Nathan felt his heart shatter.

"Is she going to okay?" He asked, _"Is she going to die?" _He thought in his head.

"Sir, we're going to need you to step back." The paramedic replied as his partner walked in with a shock board. They placed her on it and left Nathan alone in the blood stained kitchen. A paramedic returned a moment later.

"Do you want to ride along?" Of course he did but Jamie, he thought.

"No, my son doesn't need to see her like that." Nathan replied and the paramedic nodded.

"We're taking her to Tree Hill Memorial, you can meet us there." He informed him.

"Thank you." Nathan quickly walked up the stairs entering Jamie's room.

"Jamie, come on we have to go." Nathan announced but found Jamie's room empty, the window open.

"Jamie, buddy come on." Nathan urged him looking throughout the house but found no sign of his son. Nathan began panicking, he looked through every room in the house again calling for his son but found nothing. Jamie was missing.

So what do you think? Good, bad? Should I continue?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Thanks for all the amazing reviews. Sorry for the delay.

Nathan sat on the hard, uncomfortable hospital chair surrounded by the familiar and comforting faces of his friends and family. He glanced at the clock that hung on the wall, it had been six hours and twenty two minutes since they had taken Haley into surgery. The night had been full of questions, both from police and doctors. The room was quiet, filled with worry and concern. His eyes and body ached from tiredness and Nathan rested his head in his hands, silently praying for his family's safety. He felt someone place their hand on his shoulder and he looked up into the blue eyes of his older brother.

"Here." He handed him a small, white cup from which steam arose. It was warm in his numb hands.

"Thanks." He replied, taking it.

"I thought you could use it." Nathan nodded his head looking at the people in front of him. Peyton's head rested against the wall and Brooke's head rested on her shoulder. His mother's arm rested on the the chair, her eyes closed.

"You guys don't have to stay."

"We're your friends, we're staying."

"Thanks." He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Maybe, you should try to get some sleep." Lucas suggested and Nathan shook his head.

"I'm fine." He took a sip of coffee, the liquid burning his throat.

"You aren't doing any good for either of them, doing this to yourself."

"I can't sleep, not until I know that Haley is going to be okay and that Jamie is safe."

"They will be."

"She's been in surgery forever."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"You should have seen her Luke, there was blood everywhere. She was so pale." His voice shook as he spoke.

"She's strong, her last name is Scott after all." Nathan smirked at this and at that moment a man appeared wearing blue scrubs holding a file.

"Scott, Haley." Both Nathan and Lucas stood.

"Nice timing." Lucas mumbled under his breath.

"I'm Doctor Hayden and I was one of the doctors who worked on your wife." He was an older man, with dark brown hair that had streaks of gray in it. His stern eyes were hidden behind the glasses he wore.

"You must be Nathan."

"Is she okay?" Nathan questioned, fearing the answer.

"Your wife suffered an incredibly amount of damage to her body. She was shot four times, three of the bullets entered her chest, the other went through her shoulder. The ones in her chest concern me the most. One of them nicked her left lung, causing it fill with blood." Nathan's eyes widened in fear at this.

"Don't worry, we were able to drain and repair it. Although the other bullet went through her ribcage, breaking two ribs and the broken ribs punctured her right lung, causing it to collapse. Another bullet pierced her spleen, there was too much damage to repair it and we had to remove it. The last bullet was lodged in her right shoulder, we had some difficulty finding it but we did retrieve it. We tried carefully to avoid hitting any of the nerves, but the bullet itself caused damage and we won't know the full extent of it until she wakes up." He explained.

"Oh God." Nathan whispered, running a hand through his hair and he felt Lucas rub his shoulder.

"I-Is that all?" He asked, shakily.

"No, we had to place a tube down her throat to help her breathe better. Also her heart stopped due to the blood loss and extreme shock she was in, it was only for a few seconds but the second time - ."

"Her heart stopped a second time?" Lucas questioned.

"Yes, I'm afraid so and it was longer then the first."

"How long?" Nathan asked.

"Five minutes and twelve seconds."

"What does that mean?" Nathan asked, his voice rising, "Is she okay?"

"The amount of time your brain can go without oxygen ranges from three to five minutes, any longer and it begins to die."

"I know that!" Nathan exclaimed, "What I want to know is if my wife is going to be okay."

"She is just over that limit people have gone longer and they are perfectly normal but every person is different. We won't know the full effects until she wakes up."

"Do you know when she will wake up?" Lucas questioned.

"She's going to be out for awhile, the rest of tonight and most of tomorrow."

"Can we see her?" Nathan asked.

"It's after visiting hours, only family can see her."

"I'm going to go tell the others and then head home, I'll come back tomorrow to see her." Lucas told him, patting his brother on the shoulder before leaving to go to the waiting room.

"I want to see her." Nathan announced.

"Follow me." Nathan followed the doctor down the white and sterile hallways.

"I'm warning you," Doctor Hayden stopped him before entering entering the room, "You need to brace yourself."

Nathan nodded and entered the room. The sight he was met with made his stomach turn and his chest tightened. Haley lay on the large hospital bed, her small body was hooked up to numerous machines. A tube was taped to her mouth, holding it in place and Nathan barely made it to the chair before his legs gave out underneath him. He was alone in the room, the only sound was the beeping coming from the machines. He slowly sat up in the chair, after letting the surroundings sink in and moved his chair toward the bed. He sallowed the lump that was in this throat, his eyes were becoming moist. He took her small hand in his, it was warm and his blue eyes looked at her broken figure again. She looked weak and vulnerable and that scared him. Her dark, brown hair was fanned out against the white pillow, to him it looked like a brown halo. Her eyes were closed purple circles underneath them, most of the color had returned to her face. Her pink lips were cracked and dry, at least the parts he could see were, the parts that were not covered by the white tape. Her right shoulder was in a dark, blue sling. It was cold in the room and he gently pulled the blue, flannel blanket further up to her chest. He could feel the bandages underneath her thin, white hospital gown. His thumb ran up and down her hand, running circles along it.

"Hey, baby." His voice quiver and he blinked furiously, "You scared me back at the house, I thought I was going to lose you."

"_I'm not going anywhere." _Her voice echoed throughout his mind.

"I hope that's true, because I can't do this without you." He confessed, "You need to wake up soon not just for me but for Jamie." He took a deep breath.

"He's going to want to see you when they find him."

"_If they find him."_

"God, Hales please wake up, please be okay." Tears had begun to fall from his eyes and he rested his head on the bed, next to Haley letting her warm body comfort him. He slowly closed his eyes, listening to the noises of the machines he let sleep overtake him. He awoke several hours later to the feel of someone shaking him.

"Go away, Lucas." He mumbled.

"Mr. Scott?"

The voice was new to him and he slowly sat up, he could see sunlight through the drapes. His neck was stiffed, he rubbed it with his hand and wiped the sleep from his eyes. Haley's hand was still in his and he looked at her, the tube was gone but she her eyes were still closed. He turned to face the voice that had awoken him.

"Sir, I'm Office Corbin, I was one of the officers who arrived at your home when you made the call." He explained and Nathan nodded, standing up he looked familiar.

"Yeah, sure what do you need?"

"I just wanted to inform you that we've spotted your son."

So what do you think? Good? Bad? Please review.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Thank you for all the reviews, sorry for the delay but school has been well school. I hope you all enjoy.

"We've spotted your son." The words rang inside his head, emotions flooded him. Nathan's hand let go of Haley's as he stepped closer towards the officer.

"Is he okay, is he hurt?" He asked worry in his voice. His mouth was dry and he could feel his heart beat against his chest.

"He's fine, Mr. Scott a little shaken up but he's okay. We found in him in Asheville with a woman who has yet to identify herself although she keeps saying she's his mother - ."

"A woman?" Nathan questioned, interrupting him and suddenly he understood the words Haley had spoken to him earlier.

"_P-Protect-t J-Jamie, Car- ."_

It was Carrie. Anger overwhelmed him, his hands closed becoming fists and they trembled. His body became tense and his jaw clenched. She would pay.

"Carrie, her name is Carrie she was our nanny." Nathan told him his voice was hard, full of hate.

"All right that's good to know, I'll inform the other officers."

"Is there anything else?" Nathan asked.

"In her possession we found a firearm, it was empty and had recently been fired. We have her in custody and are questioning her. It's about a six hour drive from Asheville, it'll be awhile before they get here but I'll notify you if I receive any new information."

"Thank you."

"And Mr. Scott, I'm sorry for what happened." Officer Corbin told him, his eyes traveling over to where Haley lay. Nathan nodded and the officer left the room. Nathan sighed and walked back toward the bed, his fingers trailed down his wife's cheek.

"Did you hear that baby? They found Jamie, he's okay and they're bringing him back to us so you better wake up soon because I'm sure he'll want to see you." He received no response. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, he sat back in the chair and let his fingers entwine with hers. Now all he could do was wait.

Brooke walked through the sliding glass doors of Tree Hill Memorial hospital, she had flowers in one hand and a stuffed rabbit under her arm. She walked along the white, glossy floors towards the elevators and with her free hand she pushed the button lightening it up. She waited for the ding and the doors opened, stepping back she let the people off. She stepped inside, letting the dull music fill her ears.

Nathan's head ached, his body was sore and yearned for sleep. He could not remember the last time he had eaten something but none of that matter, his eyes were focused on the clock that rested on the wall in the waiting room. It had been almost six hours and he was waiting for Jamie to arrive. He heard the elevator door open but was disappointed to see it was not his son.

"Hey, what's that look for?" Brooke asked as she approached him.

"Nothing, I just thought you might be Jamie." He explained.

"I heard they found him, I'm so happy for you Nate," She said and gave him a hug, "I tried to get here earlier but I couldn't cancel the meeting."

"It's okay."

"I brought this for Jamie," She handed him the stuffed rabbit, "And these are for Haley." She held up the flowers.

"Thanks Brooke."

"Any change?" She asked.

"No, she's still the same." He answered grimly and Brooke could see the anguish in her friends eyes.

"Can I go see her?"

"Sure, Lucas is with her now."

"Lucas is here?" She questioned.

"Yeah, he's been here for awhile."

"Oh."

"She's in room 243, I would take you but I can't leave I'm waiting for Jamie."

"I understand, I'm a big girl I think I can find it by myself." She told him with a small smile. She stood outside the room, she could hear someone talking inside, her hand knocked gently against the door before entering.

"Hey." She announced.

"Hi." He responded.

"Talking to yourself is not good, I think the psych ward is on the eighth floor."

"No, I was just reading some Steinbeck to her, they said talking to her might help." Lucas explained holding up a book.

"Well I brought her flowers." She countered and set them in the vase that was on the small stand.

"Always have to outdo me don't you?"

"Of course." She replied and walked into the bathroom, filling the vase with water. Silence had fallen over them and the tension was slowly filling the room.

"They found Jamie." Lucas announced.

"I know." She responded, her fingers played with the petals.

"Look about last night," Lucas began, "That call was - ."

"Crazy? Unexpected? In the heat of the moment?" She finished for him.

"I wasn't going to say that." He argued.

"Lucas - ."

"I meant it." His voice was firm, full of confidence and certainty that she found it difficult to argue with him.

"Let's not do this, not here not now." She told him.

"Why not?"

"Lucas, please I just got here."

"I just want to know why you said no." He demanded.

"I'm not doing this right now." She turned to leave.

"Brooke, we're going to have to talk about it eventually." He called to her but she was already gone.

Nathan paced around the room, his clothes were wrinkled and he rubbed his eyes tiredly. The stress and exhaustion were beginning to eat away at him. He didn't even hear the elevator open or see the two police officers step out of it. He did hear a familiar cry that filled his ears.

"Daddy!"

So what do you think, good, bad, should I continue? Please review.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Thanks for the great reviews, they mean a lot. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

"Daddy!" Nathan turned around at the sound of the familiar cry, he never thought he would hear that voice again. Tears of relief and joy filled his eyes as his son ran towards him.

"Jamie." He whispered and bent down engulfing him in hug, his arms wrapped protectively around him. Jamie buried his head in his father's shoulder, seeking the warmth and comfort that it brought.

"Daddy, you're hurting me."

"Sorry." Nathan released his hold on him.

"Are you okay?" Nathan asked, looking over his son making sure he wasn't injured.

"I'm okay, are you daddy?" Jamie asked, noticing the tears in his father's eyes.

"I'm just really glad that you're all right, I don't know what I would do if I lost you." Nathan told him running his hand through his blond hair.

"I missed you daddy, I don't like Nanny Carrie, she's mean." Nathan's eyes filled with anger at those words.

"What do you mean? Did she hurt you?" He was doing his best to control his anger.

"She told me that she was my family now, that I was her son. She said that I would never see you again."

"Oh, buddy." Nathan took his son in his arms he never wanted him to feel that, afraid and vulnerable. It was his job to protect him, to keep him safe.

"She told me she was the one who hurt mama." Nathan swallowed hard, he knew what was going to happen next. Jamie's eyes wandered around the room.

"Where is mama? Is she okay?"

"Jamie," Nathan found the words difficult to form, "She's - ."

"Jamie!" Brooke cried running over and picking him up.

"Aunt Brooke, you're here!"

"Of course I am, the whole gang is here, we've been waiting for you. We've been so worried."

"Really?" He questioned.

"Yeah, we wanted to make sure you were okay, their down in the cafeteria now." She answered.

"I am really hungry, can we go down there?" Jamie looked up at Nathan and he sighed. He wanted to spend more time with him but he understood that Jamie wanted to see the others.

"Sure." Nathan answered Brooke placed him down on the ground, taking his hand in hers.

"Let's go."

"_Brooke wasn't lying,"_ Nathan thought as they entered the cafeteria. The whole gang was there, Lucas, Peyton, Mouth, Skillz, and Deb were all crowded around one table. Jamie was ambushed with kisses, hugs, and handshakes all at once.

"Are you okay?"

"We were so worried."

"Hey, little man it's good to have you back."

"You were the top story at the network."

"Dawg, don't ever do that again."

"Back off he's my nephew."

The voices all came at once. Once everything had settled down and Jamie had eaten, they had sat and talked for hours, the night wore thin and they each said their goodbyes. His mother and Lucas were the last to leave.

"You look tired, buddy." Nathan stated as he watched his son struggle to keep his eyes open.

"No, I'm not." Jamie replied, shaking himself awake and Nathan laughed.

"Aunt Brooke said we could stay at her house tonight if you wanted to."

"No, I want to see mama." He announced.

"Jamie, I don't know."

"Please daddy." Nathan sighed, he could not say no to him.

"Come on." They walked out of the cafeteria together and rode up the elevator.

"She's going to have a lot of wires and machines hooked up to her but it's okay, they are there to help her." Nathan informed him as they walked down the hallway. Nathan opened the door and they slowly entered. Jamie stood in the doorway looking at his mother who lay unmoving in the bed. Jamie looked up at Nathan.

"It's okay, she's just sleeping." Jamie stood still for several moments before moving away from his father. He did not say a word as he moved towards the bed. He gently pushed himself up onto the bed, carefully avoiding hitting the many wires that were connected to his mother. He pulled the thin, blue blanket up around him and Haley. He moved her good arm, wrapping it around himself and laid his head on her chest. Nathan smiled at the scene in front but his heart silently broke.

"_God Hales, please wake up. He needs you. I need you."_

"Daddy, can we stay here tonight?" Jamie's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yeah, we can stay." He answered, Jamie had been through a lot, he needed this. Nathan had waited till he had fallen asleep to pick him up.

"We'll be back tomorrow." Nathan whispered into Haley's ear and kissed her softly on the lips before leaving the room. They walked across the parking lot to the car and Nathan placed him in his car seat before driving off into the dark night. He pulled into the familiar driveway and walked the pathway. He quietly knocked on the door, trying not to disturb the sleeping Jamie in his arms. He stood there for a few moments before the door opened.

"What!?" An angry looking, bathrobe wearing Brooke cried and Nathan stepped back.

"I didn't know your offer had an expiration date." Nathan said.

"Sorry, I thought you were someone else. Come in." She stepped aside.

"I thought you we're going to come over earlier." She announced.

"I know, we were going to but Jamie wanted to see Haley and he wanted to stay. I just thought he could use a good night's sleep, I know I could and those hospital chairs aren't very comfortable."

"You look exhausted, Nate." She told him, sympathy in her eyes.

"I am."

"You can put him in the guest bedroom. He has some clothes in the drawer from staying over the last time." She opened the door for him and Nathan placed Jamie on the bed.

"Thanks for doing this Brooke," Nathan said, gratitude in his voice, "I'm just not ready to go back to the house yet."

"I understand, if you want to talk about anything I'm here." She told him, rubbing her hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks."

"Well, I'll see you two in the morning, goodnight."

"Night." Nathan slipped off his shoes and climbed into bed next to his son. He let his thoughts unravel in his head, his son was back and he was safe. The fact that he was next to him brought such comfort but in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right, that something was missing.

"_Haley." _

He had a part of his family back but a large piece was still missing. This thought kept him awake for most of the night before his body finally gave in to the rest it desperately needed. Brooke stood in the kitchen, a scapula in her hand. She smiled seeing Jamie in the next room watching television, she returned her attention back to the stove. She looked up when she saw Nathan emerge from the bedroom.

"Hey, I'm making breakfast and I know what you're thinking but it's pancakes, they came from a box and don't worry I saw Peyton make them once - what's wrong?" Brooke asked, seeing the look on her friend's face.

"The hospital just called, it's Haley."

**Note: **SoI'm incredibly conflicted. I love Haley but the thought of killing her has entered my mind but I don't know yet. Anyway please review and tell me what you think.


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